THARPARKAR, (INP): At least 25 green peacock, a rare peacock species have died in a week due to Ranikhet disease in different villages of Tharparkar district.
According to officials of the wildlife department, eight peacocks have died in Bakho while 17 have died in Bagal. Besides, dozens of others are ill due to the disease. In January, nine peacocks died in two days due to the disease.
Officials of the wildlife department say they could not vaccinate all the peacocks so they added a medicine in water that is kept in earthenware utensils near the wells. The medicine cures the disease, they had claimed. However, all the peacocks in the district do not drink from those clay utensils.
The peacocks are in reasonable number in Tharparkar district while elsewhere in the world they are rare peacock species. In fact, these birds are in the endangered species list and their population is fast decreasing. These rare, unique and beautiful birds are actually almost near to extinction. Fortunately they are seen in large numbers in Tharparkar but it is feared that without proper care, they too will face extinction.
Being one of the most beautiful birds in earth, peacocks are admired and loved by most people and peacock feathers is one of the most unique and extraordinary things found in nature. The colors, designs and especially the plumage in a peacock feather make it so special that people are always fond of it.
The beautiful blue coloured peacocks are almost reduced to half in population from their population fifty years back, and the green coloured peacocks are the worst affected.
Officials of the Sindh wildlife department had said they could not vaccinate all the peacocks so they added a medicine in water that is kept in earthenware utensils near the wells.The medicine cures the disease, they had claimed. However, all the peacocks in the district do not drink from those clay utensils.
